Microsoft officially lets you play classic original Xbox games on PC

Microsoft has been betting on “backward” compatibility as one of the main advantages of its Xbox consoles for years. This time, however, it has expanded these efforts beyond the console ecosystem. The new program, labeled “Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC”, is specifically intended for PCs. Users are currently able to choose from four games, namely BLiNX: The Time Sweeper, Conker: Live and Reloaded, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge and Fuzion Frenzy. Each individual game costs approximately €9.20, while Xbox Game Pass subscribers or owners of existing digital licenses have immediate free access to them. Unfortunately, the use of original physical discs in PC units is not possible.

Playing these classic titles on PC brings some graphical improvements, such as support for vertical synchronization (Vsync), anisotropic filtering, improved anti-aliasing, and up to four times the resolution of the original SD signal, which means a resolution of up to 2,560 × 1,920 pixels. However, the games are limited to their native refresh rate and aspect ratio, which in most cases means 30 frames per second and a 4:3 ratio. To play the first batch of games, an older GTX 950 graphics card from 2015 is sufficient, but for the best experience, the manufacturer recommends the GTX 1070 Ti model with 8 GB of memory.

Initial testing by Digital Foundry suggests that the experience on PC is very similar to playing these games on the Xbox Series X. However, they point out some technical shortcomings. These include weak anisotropic filtering, issues with image uniformity that cause camera stutters, and minor visual bugs in the initial set of games.

From a technical perspective, running these games on PCs isn't a huge "breakthrough," as Microsoft has been using software emulation since the days of the Xbox 360. Porting this technology to Windows is relatively easy and replicates a feature that unofficial emulators have offered for years. The move is much more significant from a business perspective, as it signals a further blurring of the lines between Microsoft's console and PC gaming, part of a broader strategy to preserve old games and port them to PCs.